Akua Allrich, photo by Handi. >> Tonight at Twins Jazz, multi-instrumentalist Michelle Webb teams up with bassist Luke Stewart and drummer Warren Trae Crudup to form The Improvised Soul Jazz Trio. The band ties together the worlds of jazz, rock, progressive, Afrobeat and funk. 8 and 10 p.m. sets. $10 + $10 food/drink minimum.
>> Smooth jazz saxophonist Dave Koz will perform tonight at Wolf Trap with gospel/R&B vocalist BeBe Winans. Also on the bill are UK funksters, Average White Band. 7:30 p.m. $25-$42 + fees.
>> Smooth jazz stars Norman Brown and Gerald Albright team up for 7:30 p.m. show at The Birchmere on Thursday. $45 + fees.
>> Celebrated trumpeter Terence Blanchard will return to Blues Alley for a four night stand of 8 and 10 p.m. sets, beginning on Thursday. $40 + $12.50 minimum/surcharge.
>> Trombonist Reginald Cyntje gathers some of the city’s best on Thursday at Twins Jazz to celebrate the first anniversary of his debut release, Freedom’s Children. The band includes vocalist Christie Dashiell and steel pannist Victor Provost. 8 and 10 p.m. sets. $10 + $10 food/drink minimum.
>> Local vocalist Sharon Clark leads a group of area all-stars in tribute to Sarah Vaughan on Friday at Jazz Night in Southwest. 6 to 9 p.m. $5. On Saturday, the organizers will use the same venue to host Thinking About Jazz
The Life & Wisdom of Papa Jo Jones, a free lunch and discussion in tribute to the pioneering drummer. 1-3 p.m.
>> Gato Barbieri started out playing saxophone in the free jazz ensembles of trumpeter Don Cherry in the ’60s. Over the past twenty years, his music has toned down considerably, going in a smooth jazz direction with added Latin elements. Barbieri will perform at The Howard Theatre on Friday with guest vocalist Natalia Clavier (Thievery Corporation). 8 p.m. $24 + fees.
>> The Neville family has a long tradition of carrying the music of New Orleans around the world. Ivan Neville’s Dumpstaphunk updates the grooves of its forebears, The Meters and The Neville Brothers, to move the Crescent City’s sound into the 21st century. Dumpstaphunk will perform at The Hamilton on Friday. 8:30 p.m. $33-$38.
>> Always a highlight of the local jazz calendar, vocalist Akua Allrich will pay her annual tribute to the great Miriam Makeba and Nina Simone on Friday and Saturday at Bohemian Caverns. 8:30 and 10:30 p.m. sets. $20.
>> Allyn Johnson has long been considered among the city’s best pianists. On Friday and Saturday at Twins Jazz, he will lead a group in tribute to the late James Williams, an under-appreciated pianist who passed away in 2004. 9 and 11 p.m. sets. $15 + $10 food/drink minimum.
>> HR-57 hosts regulars Antonio Parker (Friday) and DeAndrey Howard (Saturday). 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. $15.
>> The Petworth Jazz Project hosts its monthly free concert on Saturday with trumpeter Thad Wilson. 6:30 p.m.
>> Area natives Jonathan Parker (saxophone) and Curtis Ostle (bass) trained together at Oberlin’s famed conservatory before spending time playing music in Shanghai, China. The pair have returned to the United States and are based in New York, but will be performing a hometown show on Sunday at Twins Jazz. 8 and 10 p.m. sets. $10 + $10 food/drink minimum.
>> Trumpeter Donvonte McCoy concludes his month long residency at Bohemian Caverns on Tuesday. 7 and 9 p.m. sets. $10.
>> Guitarist Steve Vai got his break playing with the legendary Frank Zappa, and then moved on to play with rockers David Lee Roth and Whitesnake. In the pre-Nirvana days of the late ’80s and early ’90s, when the popularity of guitar shredders was at its peak, Vai released a series of solo albums that made the charts. Considered one of the finest guitarists of all time, his music is a blend of hard rock, world rhythms and classic fusion. Vai will lead a band on Tuesday at The Howard Theatre. 8 p.m. $40 + fees.
>> A native of Cameroon, bassist Andre Manga blends his native music’s infectious rhythms with the improvisational elements of jazz. He will lead a band through 8 and 10 p.m. sets on Tuesday at Blues Alley. $20 + $12.50 minimum/surcharge.
